Ceiling Fan with Heating Assembly

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment comprises a ceiling fan assembly secured to a heating assembly. The ceiling fan assembly comprises a plurality of rotatable blades arranged substantially in a horizontal plane to drive airflow in a desired direction when the blades are rotated. The heating assembly comprises a heating element and a power supply for energizing the heating element to produce heat, whereby air driven by the ceiling fan contacts the heating element and passes into the environment. A lighting assembly and a guard may be included.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to ceiling fans. More particularly, thisinvention relates to ceiling fans with heating elements.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the field of fans, ceiling fans are commonly utilized to assist inventilation of air. Most ceiling fans comprise an electric motorsuspended from the ceiling with a plurality of blades drivinglyconnected to the motor. The operation of the motor causes the blades torotate about a vertical axis forcing air in a desired direction. Theseceiling fans typically incorporate switches that control the operationof the ceiling fan. In addition to this assembly, many ceiling fanssupport housings for light bulbs.

The operation of ceiling fans is typically for the purpose ofventilation. Commonly ceiling fans are employed to merely move airwithin an enclosure without adding heat to the air which passes the fan.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is providedan apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment comprising aceiling fan assembly secured to a heating assembly. The ceiling fanassembly comprises a plurality of rotatable blades arrangedsubstantially in a horizontal plane to drive airflow in a desireddirection when the blades are rotated. The heating assembly comprises aheating element and a power supply for energizing the heating element toproduce heat, whereby air driven by the ceiling fan contacts the heatingelement and passes into the environment. A lighting subassembly and aguard may be included.

In one embodiment, the ceiling fan is suspended from the ceiling so thatrotation of the plurality of blades forces air in a downward direction.A heating assembly is disposed below the plurality of rotatable blades.A controlled power supply is configured to energize the heating assemblyto produce heating of that air forced downwardly past the heatingassembly by the rotating blades. The cage of the present invention iscarried by the ceiling fan and is designed to support the heatingassembly in the preferred embodiment. The cage is permeable to air flowwhereby air flow from the rotating blades passes over the heatingassembly and through the cage into a room or other environment.

In one embodiment, the ceiling fan may include a lighting assemblydisposed below blades of the ceiling fan assembly. In one embodiment,the lighting assembly may be disposed between the ceiling fan assemblyand the heating assembly. In this case, the lighting assembly mayinclude extended arms which position the lights beyond the perimeter ofthe cage to give unobstructed lighting of the room. The light bulbs areshielded for purposes that may include aesthetically pleasing qualitiesand/or to provide protection from the heat generated by the heatingassembly of the ceiling fan. These aesthetically pleasing qualities aresignificant because light bulbs, specifically low-wattage or energyefficient light bulbs, can degrade the aesthetic environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description of the invention readtogether with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the present inventiondepicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of one embodiment of a light bulb shield of thepresent invention depicted in FIG. 1 and depicts a low energy bulbdecorated by a light bulb shield constructed in accordance with variousfeatures of the invention;

FIG. 4A illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostatpositions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4B illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostatpositions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4C illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostatpositions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4D illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostatpositions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of theheater subassembly of the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of theheater subassembly of the present invention;

FIG. 5E is a plan view of one embodiment of the ceiling fan assembly andheater subassembly of the present invention, showing the area in theplane which the heater subassembly may occupy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A ceiling fan with heating assembly and optional lighting assembly isdisclosed. The ceiling fan is illustrated generally at 10 in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2. As depicted, the ceiling fan 10 is designed for ventilation ofan environment 12 that has a ceiling, or other structural support, fromwhich the ceiling fan 10 may be suspended. The ceiling fan 10 is securedand suspended from the ceiling by conventional means, such as a pipe 11.Power, at 120 volts or other effective amounts to power the fan, issupplied to the ceiling fan 10 through wiring extending through the pipe11. This suspension defines a vertical axis 16 down the center of theceiling fan 10, and further defines the axis about which the fan bladesrotate.

As depicted in FIG. 1 and more clearly in FIG. 2, the ceiling fanassembly 18 comprises a housing 20 which encloses a conventional fanmotor that, when energized, will rotate a plurality of fan blades 22producing air flow in a desired direction. These fan blades 22 extendoutward at equally spaced intervals around the vertical axis 16. The fanblades 22 comprise wood, or other suitable material, in an oblong shape,in which two elongated sides are substantially parallel, one enddefining a semicircle, and the other end having a decorative curve thatforms a point, or shape with dimensions that are effective for creatingair flow. A rigid arm 26 mounts the semicircle end of the fan blade to aconventional fan motor (not shown) at a desired angle to effectuate airflow by rotation of the fan blades 22. Additionally, the bottom of thefan housing 20, as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, provides aconventional attachment subassembly 28 which provides a power sourceleads 30 and a structure to mount attachments. In addition, the fanhousing 20 provides conventional controls, as depicted by pull-chains 34in FIG. 2, for the operation of the ceiling fan assembly 18, a lightsubassembly 36 and the heating element 86. Alternatively, fan controlsmay be provided through wall-mounted or radio frequency controls.

A lighting subassembly 36 may be centrally disposed about the verticalaxis 16 below the ceiling fan assembly 18. The lighting assembly 36generally comprises a frame subassembly 38, which provides structure andmeans for mounting the lighting assembly 36, and an electrical supply.The lighting assembly 36 is secured to the ceiling fan assembly 18 bybolts, for example.

The frame subassembly 38, as illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises a shell46, which encloses a skeleton 48 providing structural support formounting the lighting arms 50. The shell 46 has an inverted bell shape,with a larger diameter at the top that tapers to a smaller diameter atthe bottom. The shell 46 is open at the top which exposes the skeleton48.

The plurality of lighting arms 50, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2,comprise long, hollow, and cylindrically shaped, conventional pipe,which has a diameter adapted to provide rigid support for lights and tocontain electrical wiring to the lights. As illustrated in FIG. 2, thelength of the lighting arms 50 may extend outward farther from the axis16 than the ceiling fan assembly 18 and the heating assembly 44. Each ofthe lighting arms 50 comprises a rigid material which is hollow, toallow for the electrical assembly to remain hidden. As desired, thelighting arms may be telescoping to allow extension outwardly from theshell 46. With additional extension of the lighting arms 50, as isnecessary for larger size ceiling fans, support brackets or chains maybe provided to secure the lighting arms to the ceiling and preventsagging of the lighting arms 50.

As illustrated, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the presentinvention the lighting arm 50 may include a light bulb housing 72 whichis disposed on the end of the arm 50. The light bulb housing 72 isattached to the lighting arm 50 by conventional means. The light bulbhousing 72 may be of aesthetically pleasing design. If the lighting arms50 are telescoping, the light bulb housing 72 may be rotated to anydesired orientation. Similarly, a joint may be provided in the each arm50 to allow adjustable orientation of the light bulb housing 72.

The power source provided by the attachment subassembly 28 of theceiling fan assembly 18 may be utilized to provide electricalconnections for the light subassembly 36. The leads 30 from theattachment subassembly 28 transfer electrical power to the light socketsin each light bulb housing 72 mounted upon each lighting arm 50. Thiswiring is connected in a parallel circuit as is well understood in theart. Conventional low wattage light bulbs 78 are used to provide lightand may be controlled by the conventional methods for the attachmentsubassembly 30. The usage of low wattage bulbs 78 increases the lifetimeof the bulb and reduces power consumption.

One embodiment of a heating assembly 44 of the present invention isdepicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. This heating assembly 44 is disposedbelow the lighting assembly 36 about the vertical axis 16. The heatingassembly 44 is mounted to the ceiling fan assembly 18 through the shell46 and secured therein.

The heating assembly 44, as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, comprises aheating element 86, and electrical connection to a power supply 84 toenergize the heating element 86 to produce heat. The depicted heatingelement 86 is disposed below the ceiling fan assembly 18 and thelighting assembly 36 surrounding the vertical axis 16. As illustrated inFIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the heating element 86 is essentially positioned in ahorizontal plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the fanblades 22 allowing for direct exposure of the heating element 86 to theair flow generated by the ceiling fan assembly 18. As depicted in FIG.2, the heating element 86 extends outwardly from the vertical axis 16 adistance of about half the length of the individual lengths of the fanblades 22. The heating element 86 accepts power through two leads,terminal 90A and terminal 90B, which are connected through conventionalwiring to a power supply 84. In one embodiment, the power is suppliedthrough an external 240V power supply. As desired, the terminals 90A and90B may extend outwardly from the shell 46 to connect to the heatingelement 86.

The heating element 86 of the heater subassembly 82 is supported by thecage subassembly 80. As illustrated by FIG. 2, the cage subassembly 80comprises generally a cage 92 which protects against contact with theheating element 86 or fan blades 22 and insulators 94 for support of theheating element 86.

The cage 92 is permeable to air flow while providing support to theheating element 86 without impeding the flow of air. The cage 92 isdisposed in a substantially horizontal plane substantially parallel tothe fan blades 22 and provides support for the heater subassembly 82 andrestricting contact with the heating subassembly 82. As depicted in,FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one embodiment of the present invention the cage 92comprises wire members formed into a configuration that provide largeopenings for air flow 24 while producing an aesthetically pleasingdesign. For a large cage 92 additional supports to the ceiling may beprovided by chains and/or brackets, for example.

The cage 92 supports the heating element 86, in a spaced apartrelationship to the cage, by a plurality of insulators 94 shown in FIG.2. The insulators 94 are disposed in spaced apart relationship to oneanother around the perimeter of the heating element 86. As depicted,these insulators 94 may be fixed to the cage 92 by welding or othersuitable means. These insulators 94 may be triangular-shaped or othersuitable design which give support and/or secure the heating element 86to the cage 92. The insulators 94 may be ceramic or other materialsuitable for insulation of electrical and heat energy. As depictedinsulators 94 may comprise triangular-shaped ceramic plates withsemicircle indentations 96, having the interior diameter substantiallythe same as the outer diameter of the heating element 86, at the apex ofthe triangle to support and mount the heating element 86 to the cage 92.

In alternative embodiments, a device of the present invention may beprovided with light bulb shields 98 for protecting light bulbs 78 suchthat the light bulb 78 is not affected by heat generated by the heatingelement 86. The light bulb shield 98 comprises material which is heatresistant and noncombustible, whereby heat generated by the heatingelement 86 will not affect performance of a light bulb 78. Theembodiment, as shown in FIG. 1-3, depicts the light bulb shield 98 as anaesthetically pleasing arrangement of leaves 108 removing the unsightlylow wattage light bulbs 78 from significant view.

Alternative embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 5A-B, may dispose theheating element 86 above the ceiling fan assembly 18, or between theceiling fan assembly 18 and the lighting assembly 36. In either of suchembodiments the length of the lighting arms 50 of the lighting assembly36 may be reduced.

In other alternative embodiments, illustrated in FIG. 5C-D, the heatingelement 86 comprise a series of concentric circles 86B each have asmaller radius than the previous, or a series of rectangles 86C in whicheach rectangle has a smaller rectangle within the interior.Additionally, the heating element 86 may be positioned around thevertical axis 16 at distances between the inside edge and outside edgeof the fan blades 22 such that the position of the heating element 86 isin the direct air flow 24 generated by ceiling fan 10 as illustrated inFIG. 5E.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 A-D, the heating subassembly 82, may be poweredby means of the attachment assembly 30 power supply 34 of the ceilingfan assembly 18 or by an independent power supply 84 in the amount of120V, 240V, or an effective amount of power to heat the heating element86. As illustrated by FIG. 4B-D, placing a rheostat 110 in the circuit112 of the heating subassembly 82 allows a user to adjust the powersupplied to the heating subassembly 82 to increase or decrease thetemperature at which the heating element 86 operates. As depicted inFIG. 4A, in one alternative embodiment these controls for the heatingsubassembly may include a time control 114 to automatically turn on oroff the heating subassembly. These types of controls save cost forheating.

While the present invention has been illustrated by description ofseveral embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have beendescribed in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled inthe art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limitedto the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, andillustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures maybe made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope ofapplicants general inventive concept.

1. An apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment, saidapparatus comprising: a ceiling fan assembly comprising a plurality ofrotatable blades arranged substantially in a horizontal plane to driveairflow in a desired direction when the blades are rotated; and aheating assembly secured to said ceiling fan assembly, said heatingassembly comprising a heating element and a power supply for energizingsaid heating element to produce heat, whereby air driven by said ceilingfan contacts said heating element and passes into the environment. 2.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heating assembly is disposed belowsaid rotatable blades.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heatingassembly is disposed above said rotatable blades.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said ceiling fan assembly defines a central axis andsaid fan blades extend outwardly from said axis by a distance greaterthan the extension of said heating element from said axis.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein a cage comprising a plurality of membersdefines openings permeable to air flow in a substantially horizontalplane below said rotatable blades.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid cage further comprises a plurality of insulators for mounting saidheating element to said cage.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein saidinsulators are formed of a heat resistant material.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said heating assembly further comprises a rheostat forcontrolling the power supplied to said heating element, whereby thequantity of heat output of said heating element can be adjusted to adesired level.
 9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and furthercomprising a light subassembly, said light subassembly comprising: ashell; a plurality of elongated arms extending outwardly from saidshell; a plurality of light bulb sockets, each secured to the outboardend of one of said arms and containing a light bulb; a plurality oflight bulb shields located adjacent to each of said light bulbs; and apower supply for energizing said light bulbs.
 10. The apparatus of claim9 wherein said light bulb shields are formed of a heat resistantnoncombustible material.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein saidheating element is disposed below said rotatable blades.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11 wherein said shell, said arms, said light bulbsockets, and said light bulb shields are disposed above said heatingelement and below said rotatable blades.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11wherein said shell, said arms, said light bulb sockets, and said lightbulb shields are disposed below said heating element and said cage. 14.The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said heating element is disposed abovesaid rotatable blades.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said ceilingfan assembly defines a central axis and said fan blades extend outwardlyfrom said axis by a distance greater than the extension of said heatingelement from said axis.
 16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cagecomprises a plurality of members which define openings permeable to airflow in a substantially horizontal plane below said rotatable blades.17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cage includes a plurality ofinsulators for mounting said heating element to said cage.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 9 wherein said heating assembly includes a rheostatfor controlling the power supplied to said heating element, whereby thequantity of heat output of said heating element can be adjusted to adesired level.